Anyone who tells you that it is possible to be assertive without pissing off others is either delusional or lying to you.

Is it bad to piss off others?

To be frank, you’re only mildly annoying others in street photography.

I think a lot of people are also afraid of physical or verbal/mental aggression from others.

So the question is this:

Do you have enough guts to stand up for yourself and what you do?

Or in more simple terms:

Can you take a punch?

Perhaps as a rite of passage into street photography, we should have taken a punch to the face at least once. Boxing lessons or MMA lessons perhaps might help our self-confidence, or to overcome risk aversion. I’ve been punched a lot in the past, and to be honest, it’s not that bad or painful.

Thus we must not be so afraid of pain (physical or mental) in order to become more assertive.

Better be perceived as an asshole than a nice guy

Nice guys finish last, always. No great individual in society was seen as a “nice guy” who obeyed the rules. Even the civil disobedience that Gandhi encouraged took a ton of physical courage (getting physically beaten by cops and the government). Even Martin Luther Kong Jr.; the threat of death was constantly looming, hanging above you like the sword of Damacoles.

Or in other words:

If you want to become the most epic you possible, it is better to be feared and hated than to be loved.

Don’t be a people pleaser

I can speak from personal experience:

Whenever I was a people pleaser or too nice, I’ve been suckered.

As a rule, I think it is good to be polite to everyone you first meet. But once you meet someone who isn’t polite to you, or someone who is trying to take advantage of you, ruthlessly cut them from your life.

How bad do you want it?

I don’t think being assertive means to intentionally act like an asshole to everyone. To me, it means:

Follow your own personal code of morals and ethics, and ignore anyone who calls you a bad/evil person.

No matter how good a person you are, you will always find someone to think you’re an asshole, or have ulterior motives. Whatever, just do you, and if you start hearing others call you an asshole, smile — it means you’re succeeding and making an impact in the world.

Conclusion

Assertion is good. Self-expression is good. Follow your own inner-morals and code of ethics, and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.

Primary Sidebar

Cart

HAPTIC INDUSTRIES

HAPTIC makes creative tools to empower visual artists. From educational tools, art platforms, to camera equipment, HAPTIC is driven by a spirit of experimentation and creative collaboration. We are a majority women led, family operated industry, and have great pride in everything we make.

Find Your Perfect Strap

The Story of Haptic

HAPTIC MISSION: We believe in disrupting the production market for photography, art, and creative tools. We are transparent about the labor practices behind HAPTIC because we are proud and love everything we make. We support honest and beautiful work with respectful wages to our artists, artisans, and collaborators.

We are not anonymous. Our products are a story. HAPTIC products are printed, prepared, shipped from California with creative collaborators from Saigon.